West & South West London Equity Branch June 2018 Newsletter Next meeting: Wed 13 June, 7pm Seven Dials Club, 42 Earlham Street, WC2A 9LA (opposite Donmar Warehouse) Guest speaker: James Graham We are thrilled to announce James Graham as our guest speaker. James’s play This House, directed by Jeremy Herrin, opened at the Cottesloe in 2012 and transferred to a sell out run at the Olivier, and later to the West End. Privacy opened at the Donmar in 2014 and then on Broadway with Daniel Radcliffe. Last year James had two plays – Ink and Labour of Love – running simultaneously next door to each other in the West End. His latest play Quiz is currently on at the Noel Coward Theatre. He has also written the book for a Broadway musical, and for TV and film. He is currently working on a film adaptation of acclaimed memoire Gypsy Boy and adapting 1984 for Paul Greengrass. On first, at 7pm sharp! ELECTION FEVER The ARC – The Branch more London Branches will be than punched its weight at holding joint Council Election the Annual Representative Hustings on Monday 11 Conference this week. Our June, 2-5pm at Equity HQ motion on backstage Guild House. Come and grill conditions was the first one the candidates before you passed unanimously, decide how to vote! following a terrific speech by Branch Vice Chair Dan Page - picked up and featured by ELECTION FEVER 2 The The Stage. And the London Branch has nominated AGM motion on dodgy Branch Secretary Larner agents didn’t even need Wallace-Taylor and is Branch Secretary Larner- supporting former Chair Wallace-Taylor to speak. The Branch Safe Spaces t-shirts, Andrew Macbean and N&E mere threat sent the motion which went down a storm at the ARC, raising £300 for Act London Chair Shenagh direct to Council for approval. Govan in the elections. for Change. AVAILABLE AT NEXT BRANCH MEETING! TANIA FOLEY SUMMERTIME CABARET Got an audition speech you want to try out? A song? Got a party piece you’re secretly very proud of?! Got an unusual skill which might surprise people? Come and perform it in front of London’s friendliest, most empathetic and receptive audience at the climax of the summer season – forget Ascot, Wimbledon or Henley - the Branch cabaret/scratch night. Tuesday 24 July, 7.30pm at the Bread & Roses, Clapham. Fancy having a go? Email Will on [email protected]. W&SW London Equity Treasurer: George Play readings: Larner In brief ….. the Prime Branch Contacts: Staines Wallace-Taylor Minister has On Twitter: [email protected] [email protected] announced a new £3 million fund for @EquityWSW London Speakers: Joan Rehearsed readings: creative industries Blackham Cliff Chapman On Facebook: across the North of Workshops: Sarah rr.equitywswlondon@gm England. Joan Collins www.facebook.com/Equi Agha ail.com is to be sculpted live tyWSWLondon/ for charity by royal equity.wswlon.workshop Union update visits: artist Frances Chair: Malcolm Ward [email protected] Freya Dominic & Su Segelman at the [email protected] Auditions: Will Baylis & Gilroy London Film Museum. Ayvianna Snow The tourism industry 07770 764388 07599 428481 accounts for 8% of the Social media/students: Vice Chair: Daniel Plus: Rhonda world’s carbon Page Eddy Cottridge & Nicky Goldie Bachmann, Andrea emissions, 3 times Secretary: Larner Black higher than estimated. Wallace-Taylor The Old Vic has celebrated its 200th secretary.equity.wswlon birthday. Research @gmail.com suggests that the boom in streaming STUDENT FILM SURVEY PETER PLOUVIEZ Peter was could turn music into a $50 billion industry. Equity's Professionally Made General Secretary of Equity Professionally Paid campaign 41% of families now from 1974-1991. A Service of play video games has been successfully Thanksgiving for his life and challenging unpaid work in our together – and 44% of work will take place at the industry since its launch in 2014. parents swot up on the The campaign has made a Actors’ Church (St Paul’s, latest releases to try significant impact in fringe Covent Garden) Bedford Street, and appear cool. theatre, where it has brought London WC2E 9ED at Noon on Germany’s culture th £2.75 million in wages into the Thursday 7 June. All welcome, budget is to get a 23% sector. Improving student film especially London branch increase. The BBC jobs is now a key campaign members. Philharmonic are objective for 2018, and Equity inviting audience are confident they can make an members to keep their phones on and access impact. Please complete the COMING UP – TOLPUDDLE live programme notes. new Student Films Survey, FESTIVAL 20-22 July in Tolpuddle, The Palais de Tokyo which will help them develop Dorset. TUC coaches going down Museum in Paris has their strategy in this for the Sunday, when the march become the city’s first area: https://www.surveymonkey and speeches take place. Put it in to welcome nudist .co.uk/r/studentfilms your diary! visitors. The Metropolitan Police’s ELECTION FEVER 3 Turnout Zephyr Actors Management is a facial recognition for Equity elections has always new co-operative agency being set system has yet to been low. Let’s improve it. up by 2 committee members at our identify a criminal. friends in the N&E London branch. Here’s an idea from Andrew The University of They are looking for new members Macbean – if every member who California has found who are interested in being part of votes contacted one friend who that pop music has got that process and taking an active they think might not bother and sadder in the last 30 part in developing the agency and persuaded them to vote, it would years. their careers. Interested? Email: double the turnout. Let’s DO IT! [email protected] Minutes of W&SW London Equity Branch Meeting Wednesday 9 May, 7pm, Seven Dials Club, Covent Garden Attendees – 47 (*committee members): Ayvianna Snow*, Malcolm Ward*, Joan Blackham, Freya Dominic*, Callan Durrant, Sarah Agha*, George Staines*, Eddy Cottridge, Jamie Newall, Ray Gardner, Mimi Brooks, Maureen Beattie, Des Fleming, Chris Eccles, Claude Starling, Nicky Goldie, Clive Greenwood, Chandrika Chevli, Richard Evans, Annie Fitzmaurice, Jane Goddard, Marie Collett, Edward Halsted, Jasper Jarman, Marjorie Hayward, Hugh Hemmings, Candice Palladino, Andrew Macbean, Mary Drake, Tim Block, Joanna Lewis, Kate Copeland, Blanche Anderson, Stephanie Shaw Parker, Amanda Holt, Andrew Candish, Alice Kornitzer, Sibeal McGuinne, Christopher Poke, Barrie Collits (guest), Eva Fontaine, Felicity Trew, Sarah Simmons, Christopher West, Lin Sagovsky, Sally Grey, Mat Burt (guest speaker). Apologies: Fiona MacPherson, Bryan Harty, Tara Dowd, Cliff Chapman*, Daniel Page*, William Baylis*, James Wrighton, Avril Gaynor, Paddy Glynn, Freddy Merrydown, Su Gilroy, Larner Wallace-Taylor*, Norma Dixit, Pat Boothman, Flip Webster, Linda Beckett, Rebecca Yorke, Heather Bleasdale, Eileen Battye, Pamela Binns, Andrea Black, Noël Butler, Rhonda Bachmann, Melissa Collier, Adam Wittek, Maria Perry, Sarah Edwardson. Rosemary Smith, Cathryn Gleeson, Annabelle Gauberti. Welcome Malcolm welcomes members attending a branch meeting for the first time. GUEST SPEAKER – MAT BURT, DIRECTOR, VAULT FESTIVAL The Vault Festival is a swarming mass of comedy, film, music etc. We run it as a festival so we cram in as much as possible. We do 5 days a week. Shows tend to come in on a Tuesday, run from the Wednesday and then get out on Sunday. Applications for the Vault Festival need to be in by the end of August. From one-person shows to grand musicals and immersive theatre, we have at least one new show every day of the festival. There’s a lot going on, we find ourselves screaming into cups of coffee at 3am. I also run Heritage Arts Company. We used to make site specific theatre and we encountered what everyone else encounters - that London is a very, very oversubscribed space especially when it comes to renting somewhere or getting someone to believe in your work. So we spoke to Network Rail and we met with a guy who was a ‘suit’ kind of guy. We thought we would be told to go away but they were really, really interested. His name is Tristan and he used to spin jazz records in the 80s, so was actually keen to hear about something creative again. Originally the Network Rail Planning & Record Office was full of debris and dirt, so we struck a deal - if we help get rid of the stuff, we could put on some shows here. We only had until Christmas to turn a dump into an attractive and safe work space. We had 3 main shows and we originally had to beg people to come and do it! ‘Would you like to do your incredibly crafted show and perform it in a damp underground space’ was our pitch. Luckily we got 3 scratch shows and there were about 3 of us putting it together. We invented a bar (by that I mean a bin with some cans) and we invented a box office (by that I mean me with a pen and a good memory). Chloé Nelkin helped us - an incredible PR who supports lots and lots of fringe shows. She said ‘why didn’t you call me a long time ago?!’ She told a few newspapers about it and they came along. It grew and grew over the years! Being artists ourselves we’re very sick and tired of being taken advantage of by people with more money than us. All the way along the chain people are taking money and that often means, as you all know, the artists and the people putting themselves out there get paid the least... if at all. We start every year at 0 when it comes to cash flow.